Shopping at Wal*Mart to stock a school’s kitchen seems to show a really screwed up system.
I assume there must be a wider problem, affecting many schools. From the article, I see that the federal programme is well regulated and is specific in the requirments. That must mean that there are, usually, suppliers geared up to supplying products for the area’s schools so, if the companies are saying its not worth their while any more, then its time for a renegotiation of contracts.
By the by, when I started work in 1966 here in the UK, it was with the council’s education department. Then, school meals were tightly regulated but, over the years, schools have been given much more freedom to set their own standards and manage their own budgets. Perhaps unsurprisingly, food standards are not as high as they were back in the day.
I can’t imagine living in a developing world and economy, or living paycheck to paycheck, and having to deal with this inflation. Quite scary and sad, and helps give you perspective on your daily woes, if you don’t have to spend 25-60% of your earnings on food.
I love the idea that some is them have - more beans, lentils and cheaper but filing ingredients. I would have been happy to get bean dip over peanut butter. Maybe this can lead to a revolution in our eating and finally change diets from being so meat centric (not vegetarian myself).
Part of my extended family are in exactly this position. Currently 25% of their income goes on electricity and gas (cooking/heating) and it is due to rise significantly when the government price cap is lifted next week. Fortunately, their landlord agreed a rent reduction at the start of the pandemic and has not increased it. Presumably in due course he will.
That’s what happens here. We live in an area full of great food. Instead, in school, kids are eating pre-packaged sht. Even the apples are cut up, in a bag. Veg Oil string cheese distributed from Texas is sold in dairy central. Fed School Lunch is garbage. Give us the money and we’ll feed our kids good food. It’s like the feds are trying to prolong the obesity epidemic because it keeps the profit in the hands of the junk food producers.
I’m beginning to think my retirement quest will be for normalized, localized school lunches. Kids who don’t eat well at home sure don’t need any more pop tarts, rice crispy treats, chicken parts patties, etc. Feds should give us the money so we could contract local food producers. Ahh, but the big junk food powers that be won’t let that happen, will they?
It’s funny that the problem you point out is somewhat opposite from ours. Our problem is, these big decisions are made by bought politicians, so they’ll obviously not bite the hand that feeds them. So, instead of a local farmer getting the love, Frito Lay, Hostess, and other junk food producers make huge profits. Ass backwards the way it is now. Our first day of school is coming next Thursday. I’ll try to remember to take some pics.
Ass backwards, BBQ. A downside of capitalism/politics.
